Blog Archives
Step Aside, Newt!
It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that you should step aside when most of your campaign staff and now, your finance team leaves as well. Newt Gingrich is still in the campaign, despite all of the recent departures. It makes me think that Newt is still desperate for the limelight. Perhaps, he should do voters a favor and step aside. There are several candidates still in the race, who have been notorious for flip flopping (and Newt himself has even been caught in a flip flop moment with his statements on Obamacare).
Step aside, Newt! Your campaign is in shambles, and there are better candidates in the GOP field right now that have more potential of beating President Obama in 2012.
This is Why They Threw You Out…
Will the Democrats ever learn? At least, Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) has the balls to challenge the Democrats’ tactics on the floor of the House.
Covering the RPV Advance
Today, I will be covering some of the events at the RPV Advance at the Hilton Tysons Corner. It is far too early in the morning for me (yes, I know it is 10:28, but I love/crave sleep…especially when you are running on approximately five hours of sleep), but today’s festivities look pretty interesting with lots of breakout sessions. These sessions have such topics as:
- Policy series focusing on school choice, healthcare, jobs and the economy, taxes and spending
- Fundraising
- New Media
- Election Law
- Winning Local Elections
Along with the sessions are the opportunities to network with other fellow Republicans, etc. I will have some coverage from the lunch event and anything regarding the current State Central debate between primaries or conventions. This particular debate is no doubt crucial to address now before the 2012 elections. Later this morning, once the caffeine kicks in, I will have my own op-ed regarding the primary vs. convention debacle.
Cleaning House
Guest Post by Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
In recent years, Congress has disappointed the American people. It has enacted policies without providing sufficient advance notice and transparency to the people. It has forgotten that the money Washington spends is not government money but rather the hard-earned money of the taxpayers. It has also expanded the finite authority the U.S. Constitution grants to the federal government into seemingly infinite authority and blurred the distinction between the public and private sectors and the federal and state governments. The federal government has simply grown too big and too powerful.
These are just some of the reasons why our citizens have lost confidence in many of
our elected leaders in Washington. Last week House Republicans renewed our commitment to the people and the fundamental principles that make our country great by announcing the formation of the Republican Majority Transition Team. The goal of this Transition Team, on which I serve as a Team Leader, is to review all House procedures and work to implement the Congressional reforms included in the House Republicans’ Pledge to America. In order to rein in the unprecedented levels of government spending that have only exacerbated our current economic woes, we must begin by getting our own House in order, ensuring the Congress runs as openly and efficiently as possible.
We want the House of Representatives to be more accountable to the people and open to public scrutiny. Therefore, the Republican Majority Transition Team will work to implement a requirement that legislation be available online for 3 days before a vote so that members of Congress and the American people can read the bill. We will also require that all bills include a citation of constitutional authority so that Congress respects the limits imposed on it by our founding document. Changes to House rules will make it harder to increase spending and easier to cut it so that we begin a new era of fiscal responsibility in Washington and end the practice of passing “comprehensive” or “omnibus” bills that package unrelated legislation together in an effort to avoid public scrutiny. In fact, Republicans have already started making changes, such as moving to install public cameras in the powerful Rules Committee, which decides which bills and amendments come to the floor for a vote.
In addition to serving on the Republican Majority Transition Team, I have been named
the Team Leader for the House Operations Working Group. We will have oversight over all House operations including many House support organizations such as the Library of Congress, the House Clerk’s office, Capitol Police and the Congressional Budget Office. We will work to put in place new guiding principles for these groups, with the overarching goals of transparency, accountability and cost savings.
The American people are demanding accountability and results and that is what House
Republicans are offering. We have pledged to run the House differently than it has been run by both Democrats and Republicans in the past. House Republicans will work to ensure that the people’s House is transparent and open to help build the trust so vital in a democracy.
To contact me about this or any other matter, please visit my website at
www.goodlatte.house.gov. To submit ideas for how Congress can work better for all Americans please visit http://gopleader.gov/NewMajority.
Now is the Time for Real Leadership
Guest Post by Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
Today, the American people are facing one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history. Our economy remains sluggish, people fear losing their jobs and their homes, andmany are worried about the future their children and grandchildren will inherit. They are deeplyconcerned about the outlook for our great country and wonder if their children will grow up inthe same America they did. People are looking for real solutions to the problems we face.
While the Democrats in Congress have responded to the current economic crisis withunprecedented levels of spending, government intrusion in the private sector, and expansionof the federal government, these actions have only exacerbated the problem. These recklesspolicies have done little to create jobs, leaving our unemployment rate hovering near ten percent,but have certainly saddled our children and grandchildren with debt that is not their own.
The American people are hurting and so nothing is more important to me than ensuringthe future growth of our economy. The time is now for a renewed commitment to the people andthe fundamental principles that made our country great.
A few weeks ago House Republicans released our “Pledge to America”, which is theresult of our conversations with everyday Americans, like many of my constituents here in theSixth District of Virginia. If we in Congress work hand in hand with the American people we canchange the way business is done in Washington by enacting commonsense legislation.
In this new governing agenda, House Republicans pledge to the American people tobegin work immediately on five major policy goals and propose specific legislative initiativeswithin each broader area. These goals include: to create jobs, end economic uncertainty and make America more competitive; to stop out-of-control spending and reduce the size ofgovernment; to repeal and replace the government takeover of health care; to reform Congressand restore trust; and to keep our nation secure at home and abroad.
The American people are demanding accountability and results and that is what House Republicans are offering. I invite everyone to take the time to visit the website pledge.gop.gov. There you will have the opportunity to read the entire text of the Pledge, including our specific legislative proposals.
I am as committed as ever to the principles and priorities of accountability, limitedgovernment, low taxes, fiscal restraint, energy independence, border security, a strong nationaldefense, personal responsibility and economic prosperity and I will continue to be a leader inaddressing these important issues. We have much work to do, and I look forward to workingwith you to set America back on track toward a prosperous and free future.
Let the Games Begin
The countdown to the 11th Congressional District primary continues. Today, Keith Fimian’s campaign released a video, Patinocchio, highlighting Pat Herrity’s position on tax increases. This race continues to heat up.
Obama: Maybe, you can't keep your health insurance
Isn’t this comforting? Over the weekend, the House Republican Conference held their retreat in Baltimore and invited President Obama to speak during their event. During the President’s remarks, Obama made a nice little reference about the health care reform bill by saying that under the plan you might not be able to keep your health insurance. For those satisfied with their health care plan, this is stealing your liberties once again.
Governor Bob McDonnell to Deliver Republican Address to Nation
Governor Bob McDonnell will be delivering the Republican address to the nation, following the State of the Union Address on January 27th. McDonnell was invited to give this address by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio).
WASHINGTON, DC –House Republican Leader John Boehner (OH) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) announced today that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will give the Republican address following the President’s State of the Union address to Congress on January 27, 2010. Further details regarding location, coverage and exact time will be released in the days ahead.
In making the announcement, Leader Boehner noted the Governor’s leadership on the economy and offering solutions to help create jobs and put Virginians back to work:
“As the American people continue to ask, ‘where are the jobs,’ Gov. McDonnell has offered common-sense economic policies in stark contrast to Washington Democrats’ job-killing agenda. We don’t need a government takeover of health care or a ‘cap-and-trade’ national energy tax – we need a common-sense plan to help middle-class families and small businesses and allow them to keep more of what they earn so they can save, invest, and hire.”
Leader McConnell said the Governor understands the frustration of Americans and is a leader who offers common sense solutions:
“Gov. McDonnell understands that the American people are more interested in shrinking unemployment than expanding government. He is an impressive public servant and an excellent choice to offer Republican solutions for our country.”
NOTE: Bob McDonnell is the recently inaugurated 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In the 2009 gubernatorial campaign he received the most votes of any candidate for Governor in the history of Virginia. Prior to running for Governor, Mr. McDonnell served as the 44th Attorney General of Virginia. He represented the 84th District, Virginia Beach, in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1991-2005. Before his election to the House, McDonnell served as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. He also served 21 years in the U.S. Army, both active duty and reserves, and retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1997. He is married to the former Maureen Gardner of McLean, and they have five children, ages 18-29. Their oldest daughter, Jeanine, recently completed service in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005-2006.
Recap from Last Night's Victory
Last night, I reported live from the Richmond Victory Party for Bearing Drift. However, I wanted to provide a glimpse into my thoughts on the Republican victories in Virginia and New Jersey.
The victories of both Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie have definitely been a blow to President Obama, and even more so, it served as a referendum to the way Democrats have been handling the economic issues. When I worked at my polling location in the Centreville precinct in Western Fairfax, some of the voters I spoke with mentioned their disdain with the President’s handling of the economy and the current rise of unemployment numbers. One voter even mentioned that he never understood where Creigh Deeds or the rest of the Democratic ticket stood on the issues, and for the first time, this man was voting Republican for all of the statewide offices. Similar responses have been heard by many poll workers here in Virginia, as well as in New Jersey.
These victories are sweet, but we need to keep the momentum going. Both McDonnell and Christie will have to stick to their campaign promises and work to getting their proposals through. At times, this will be difficult, but it is not impossible, if they work across the aisle to implement common sense, limited government approaches. Another thing is that we should not be overly comfortable with being the dominant party, and I believe this point was best stated by Brian Kirwin’s post at Bearing Drift, when he said,
“Which brings me to what I’ve told most people for the past month: I think 2009 was 1993, and I’ve been saying so all year. That means we Republicans are ripe to have a 1994.
That ain’t good.
1994 for the rest of the nation was a great year. 1994 in Virginia and Hampton Roads wasn’t exactly stellar. The supremely vulnerable Sen. Chuck Robb won. Congressional Democrats across Hampton Roads won easily. Tom Davis defeated Leslie Byrne in the 11th, our sole pickup in the Gingrich Revolution, and a seat we no longer hold.
My memories of 1994 are full of a crowd of Republican candidates all anxiously and viciously destroying each other to win a nomination, and once it was won, the wounds didn’t heal at all (Ask any Democrat if they’ve seen how much fun that is lately.)
So, if we Republicans treat McDonnell’s victory like Allen’s victory, and go into 2010 like we went into 1994, we’ll be stuck with Nye and Perriello and Connelly while the rest of the nation has winning Republican campaigns.
Let’s think this time around. Now that we’ve beaten Democrats, let’s not make the mistakes they made in 2009 or the ones we made in 1994.”
I am overjoyed by the Republican tidal wave victory here in Virginia. Congratulations to Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli on their victories. Also, a special congratulations goes out to newly elected Delegates, Barbara Comstock, Rich Anderson, Tag Greason, and Jim LeMunyon, as well as those who were re-elected. Now, let’s get to work and follow through with the promises made during the campaign to move Virginia forward.
Big Endorsement Today for the Republican Ticket
Virginia Virtucon reports that there will be a big endorsement for Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli today in Richmond from the Fraternal Order of Police. This is great news for the Republican ticket.
The announcement will take place in the House Briefing Room in the General Assembly at 9 a.m.
On a side note, yesterday, McDonnell picked up the endorsement of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce NOVABizPAC, adding to the other endorsements by the Virginia Realtors PAC, Virginia AgPAC, NFIB, Virginia Credit Union League, and the National Rifle Association.
